The Bride Confesses Her Love (Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Peter 3:1–7)
1 UDB This is King Solomon's most beautiful song. BSB BSB: This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.
The Bride 2 UDB I wish he would kiss me on my lips, because your love for me is more delightful than wine. BSB BSB: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine.
3 UDB The fragrance of the perfume on your skin is very sweet. And your honor is very great and is spreading, like the fragrance of the special oil that you have put on your skin. That is why the other young women are attracted to you. BSB BSB: The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens adore you.
4 UDB Take me quickly; take me to your home. He is like a king to me; he has brought me into his bedroom. I am very happy about you; my love for you is better than wine. It is not surprising that the other young women adore you. BSB BSB: Take me away with you—let us hurry! May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. It is only right that they adore you.
The Friends The Bride 5 UDB You women of Jerusalem, I am dark but beautiful; my dark skin is like the tents in Kedar, or like the beautiful curtains in Solomon's palace. BSB BSB: I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
6 UDB But do not stare at me because the sun has made my skin dark. my brothers were angry with me, so they forced me to work out in the sunshine in the vineyards, so I was not able to take good care of my body. BSB BSB: Do not stare because I am dark, for the sun has gazed upon me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have neglected.
7 UDB You whom I love, where will you take your flock of sheep today? Where will you allow them to rest at noontime? I want to know because it is not right for me to wander around like a prostitute looking for you among the flocks that belong to your friends. BSB BSB: Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?
The Friends 8 UDB You who are the most beautiful of all the women, if you search for me and do not know where I will take my sheep, follow the tracks of the sheep. Then allow your young goats to graze near the shepherds' tents. BSB BSB: If you do not know, O fairest of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats near the tents of the shepherds.
The Bridegroom 9 UDB You are beautiful, my darling, like one of the young female horses that pull the chariots belonging to the king of Egypt. BSB BSB: I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 UDB Your earrings are decorations for your cheeks, and there are strings of beads around your neck. BSB BSB: Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.
The Friends 11 UDB I will make for you some gold earrings that are decorated with silver. BSB BSB: We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with beads of silver.
The Bride 12 UDB While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread around the room. BSB BSB: While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.
13 UDB The man who loves me stays between my breasts during the night like a bag of perfume tied around my neck. BSB BSB: My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.
14 UDB He is like a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En Gedi. BSB BSB: My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Bridegroom 15 UDB You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are as delightful as doves. BSB BSB: How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.
The Bride 16 UDB You who love me, you are very delightful, you are wonderful! This green grass in the countryside will be like a couch where we can lie down. BSB BSB: How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how delightful! The soft grass is our bed.
The Bridegroom 17 UDB Branches of cedar trees will shade us; the fir branches overhead are like a roof for us. BSB BSB: The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.